Desert Romance: Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa
UAE
This spectacular eco-hotel (the only adults only hotel in the country) is located in the Al Maha Oasis, amid the hot wind-dried dunes with a backdrop of the dramatic Hajar Mountains: only 45 minutes from Dubai, but already within a nature reserve. Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa is stylized as a traditional Bedouin village, but with true Arabian luxury. The spacious suites come complete with private, thermostatically controlled swimming pools and an abundance of art and antiques. Panoramic terraces offer views of Oryx swimming at a waterhole, while the superb Timeless Spa allows guests to treat themselves to ancient Arabian beauty formulas. Hotel concierges arrange camel and off-road vehicle rides, falconry and impromptu archery tournaments. Romantic dinners of local and Mediterranean cuisine are served in the restaurant, on the secluded verandas of the suites or, best of all, in the desert, under the approving wink of the stars.
Outdoor recreation: Twin Farms
USA
Vermont is one of the smallest, most beautiful, and yet most underappreciated states in America. It is known among Americans themselves as the best place in the country to watch the fall foliage blaze, and also as a major supplier of maple syrup, which, incidentally, is even served on scrambled eggs here. And this is where the vast estate, now known as Twin Farms, is located. Laid out as early as 1793, it later became a gift for the bride of American novelist Sinclair Lewis, the influential journalist Dorothy Thompson. The novelist gave the novelist’s new residence the unpretentious name “Twin Farms,” which was a realistic description of the property. One estate subsequently burned down, but the other now serves as the main hotel building, and the best two rooms there are the former rooms of the famous owners. The surrounding area has everything worth going to the Green Mountain State for – apple orchards, maple forests, pine groves, a lake with crystal clear water, and even its own slide with trails and elevator for first-class skiing. This place is not called “pioneer camp for adults” for nothing – just look at the wine cellar with a collection of 26,000 bottles!
Yoga and Spa: Chiva-Som
Thailand
If you’re a couple looking to shed a few or five extra pounds, the chic Chiva-Som Wellness Retreat at Hua Hin, 185km south of Bangkok, is the place to be. Yoga, Tai-Chi and Muay Thai – whatever you like, any wellness practice takes place here at the highest level, under the supervision of experienced instructors. Apart from them, spa masters, naturopaths, homeopaths, nutritionists and specialists in traditional Chinese medicine work here for their guests (and over the years here visited members of Thai royal family, famous politicians, sportsmen and top models). The most popular is the local yoga retreat for two weeks. It includes not only daily Ayengar, hatha, ashtanga and vinyasa yoga classes but also Ayurvedic massages, meditation, pranayama breathing sessions and even flower therapy. The food is pure organic – it grows right here in the neighboring garden, and during a walk through the garden the chef talks about the benefits of this or that vegetable-fruit and how to prepare it. Chiva-Som has 50 rooms with personal butler service and 70 treatment rooms, as well as a kinesis studio with special machines for gymnastics and a pool where they do watsu massage.
African Safari: Londolozi Private Granite Suites
SOUTH AFRICA
Spread over 65,000 hectares, Sabi Sand adjoins the western part of Kruger National Park, the oldest and best in the country. There are no fences between the park and the reserve for 50 kilometers, allowing the animals to move freely between them. Animals, but not people: Sabi Sand, consisting of many small reserves, is a private territory and, unlike in Kruger Park, only guests staying in one of the hotels can get here. The history of Londolozi goes back to 1926, when two hunting friends, Charles Warty and Frank Unger, bought a rundown farm and surrounding pastures for next to nothing and turned them into hunting grounds. Already in 1970s, after Charles’ death, his sons Dave and John took over his father’s business and that’s when Londolozi became the reserve, getting its modern name: in Zulu it means “protector of all living”. Here you can see the famous African “big five” (elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo and leopard) with minimal effort, but Londolozi’s specialty is safari on numerous in these places leopards. The lodge rents all the necessary equipment and a special photogip (with a driver) and offers the assistance of local guides and professional photographers. You can also take possibly the best picture of your life.
Solitude in the tropics: Jade Mountain Resort
St. Lucia
There is a legend according to which the island was discovered by Columbus on St. Lucia Day, December 13. However, there is another version: St. Lucia, located in the West Indies, was first “colonized” by the terrible flibber François le Clerc, nicknamed Peg Leg – in what is now considered the most beautiful harbor in the Caribbean, he established a completely unromantic brigand’s den and robbed heavily loaded Spanish caravels of gold. Today, the main pearl of St. Lucia is the two green-covered volcanic peaks, simply called the Pitons, which means “mountain peaks” in French. The Jade Mountain Hotel is a great place to admire them from the terraces – in fact, it was built by the Canadian architect Nick Trubetskoy, a descendant of a famous Russian noble family, especially for the enjoyment of nature of the Caribbean island. The appearance of the hotel is hard to compare with anything else – except maybe with a space station, hovering in the air at the edge of the mountain half a hundred meters from the shore. All rooms are divided into five levels, which are called Galaxy, Sun, Moon, Stars and Sky. Individual infinity pools are tiled in different colors, in addition, each suite is equipped with a hydromassage chromotherapy bath – the color of the water can be changed at will.
European charm: Foxhill Manor
UK
Foxhill Manor is an old and extremely atmospheric mansion in the Cotswolds, one of England’s officially recognized “areas of outstanding natural beauty. It has just eight bedrooms, so it feels like you’ve come to stay with friends in their country house – and if you want, you can rent the whole place to yourself. The guests here are the center of the cyclone, and everything revolves only around them. 24-hour butler service, small home cinema with a library, a selection of movies and game consoles, spa-treatments in the neighboring friendly hotel – the choice of leisure here is not imposed, only softly advised. In keeping with the “Anything at Anywhere” principle, the chef prepares a menu of your choice, and meals are served anywhere in the hotel – in your room, living room, on the lawn, or even burgers and Cotswold ales on the table between the two panoramic baths! If you want to stretch your legs, there are hiking and biking trails, chamber museums in neighboring villages, and emerald golf courses.
Beach recreation: Unico 20º87º
Mexico
Located in the famous tourist area of Riviera Maya, the beach resort is indeed unique – if only in its approach to what a luxury hotel should include all inclusive. Each of its 448 rooms and suites has access to a small pool or, at worst, a Jacuzzi on the terrace. Minibar is completed on the basis of guests’ preferences, you can have dinner in one of the five restaurants, drink – in six bars, smoke a cigar – in a lounge specially designated for this purpose. But the main thing here is constant immersion into the local “context”. For example, the main accent in Unico 20º87º cuisine is made on Mexican gastronomy (considered a masterpiece of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO), paintings of local artists are exhibited and sold everywhere, every day tequila and mescal tastings, cocktail parties, painting and sculpture contests, acoustic concerts are organized. It is also nice that the price of the accommodation already includes some spa treatments, excursions to the surroundings, and even golf.
Photo courtesy of the press service
